1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners and, more particularly, to a new housing and airflow conduit system through the housing.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,054,975 discloses a hand-held vacuum cleaner having an annular shutter to manipulate the direction of dirty air. An inlet and outlet are located near each other at the rear of the unit. U.S. Pat. No. 2,491,007 discloses a hand-held vacuum cleaner with a two part casing, a motor having a pulley at one end to a drive roller, and a fan at an opposite end. U.S. Pat. No. 1,944,950 discloses a convertible suction cleaner that can convert from a floor to a hand-held unit. The inlet and outlet nozzles are located near each other and perpendicular to the axis of the fan. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,811,450 and 4,660,246 disclose fan casings with an outer wall that can be adapted for a hose connection having a vertical intake nozzle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,194 discloses a casing with a forward section and a channel shaped member that define a housing for an air impeller with a cover. Other relevant art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,225,621; 2,053,563; 1,210,523; 2,126,396; 2,140,143; 2,190,882; 2,210,951; 2,876,481; 2,898,622; 3,321,794; 4,519,113; 4,944,106; 4,959,885; 5,028,245; and 5,129,128.